Finding You
by stellarstarlet
Summary: Lily is devoted to taking care of her younger sister, Maggie, who has cancer. After running into Steve Rogers, they instantly hit it off. Steve works his way into their lives and they all become close, but when Maggie takes a turn for the worse, Lily starts to slip and resorts to other means to cope. Can Steve and Lily help mend each others aching hearts? 'M' for sex and drug use.
1. Unexpected Meeting

Hello, everyone. Just to put it out there, I've actually posted this story some time ago and kind of abandoned it. I deleted the original story and revamped the chapters. I'm excited to start this up again.

This story takes place after the Winter Solder and before Age of Ultron.

This story is a romance/angst between Steve Rogers and my o/c, Lilyanne Elizabeth Chambers. When Lily found out her younger sister was diagnosed with cancer, she didn't hesitate quit her job as a new nurse and move back to New York to take care of her. Lily is kind, clever, and funny, but soon finds herself slipping as she struggles to come to terms with her sister's worsening condition. If that wasn't enough, her family is broken and relationships within her family are crumbling. Lily is trying to keep it all together and is on the verge of breaking down until she unexpectedly meets none other than Steve Rogers. There's an instant mutual attraction between the two and they share a lot more in common then they think. But can they be the one to help mend each other's hearts? Rated 'M' for future lemons and drug use.

 _"I owned every second that this world could give_  
 _I saw so many places, the things that I did_  
 _With every broken bone..._  
 _I swear I lived"_

 _\- OneRepublic_

* * *

Chapter One: Unexpected Meeting

Lily shoved her freezing small hands into her jacket pockets, trying to warm them up as best she could. It was snowing in New York and the November air was way too cold for her to tolerate at the moment. Lily looked around her and didn't see anyone else as she walked through Bryant Park. She knew no one else in their right mind would be out in this weather. The brunette sighed and looked down at her boots, silently cursing herself for making the hasty decision to go outside and not choosing better clothes. But she needed to get away from her house, away from people, away from her mother. Not only was she cold but her head was pounding as a result of fighting with her mother only half an hour ago. Lily wasn't one to lose her temper or fight, so she did the next best thing and walked out of the house. All because she had spent the hour before hanging out with her best friend since childhood, Andre. Apparently her mother had an issue with it. She pretty much had an issue with anything Lily did if it wasn't taking care of her sister.

"Looks like I'm the only person crazy enough to be out here," she muttered softly to herself as she adjusted her black rimmed glasses. Lily's feet continued to crunch against the snow for what seemed forever, not paying any attention to where she was going. She pulled out her iPhone, which she had put on silent before storming out of her house, and groaned when she saw eight missed calls and eleven texts from her mother. She figured if it was anything serious, her mom would have left her a message on her voice mail.

"Dear Lord," she silently prayed while looking up, "if you're up there, please help me. Please give me the strength and patience-" Lily all of a sudden felt her nose make contact with something really hard, causing her to stumble backwards a few steps before falling on her butt. She shrieked when her butt made contact with the cold and snow covered ground. "Oww..." she grabbed her throbbing nose. Warm blood was quickly trickling out of her nose and sticking to her lips.

"I'll call you back," she heard a man say. "Miss? Are you okay? Here, let me help you up."

Lily looked up to see a tall man with blonde hair and blue eyes staring down at her but couldn't bring herself to say anything. Blood was dripping profusely from her nose and she was suffering from faint dizziness. Before Lily could protest, the man placed his hand on her back and gently helped her up. He guided her to the closest bench just a few feet away and sat her down.

"Here," he pulled out a white handkerchief from his pocket and gave it to her. Lily hesitantly took it with one hand while the other still covered her mouth and nose. She really wanted to tell him that she was okay and didn't need his help but at the same time was incredibly desperate to rid her face and nose of her blood. Lily wiped her lips and held the handkerchief to her nose, suppressing the bleeding. When she looked forward, she saw the blue eyed man kneeling in front of her, his eyes laced with concern. She was all of a sudden thankful for the cold she had cursed at only a moment ago, for if it weren't for the cold making her cheeks rosy red, her blush would have been obvious to the handsome man in front of her.

"Did I walk into a tree?" she asked. The path she was walking down was lined with trees. She assumed that was the only logical explanation. There was nothing else she could have possibly walked into. "Wait," she squinted into the distance. "Where are my glasses?"

The man awkwardly scratched the back of his head. "No, ma'am. You, uh, walked into my arm. And I'm sorry," he handed her glasses back to her, both of the lenses horribly cracked. "They're broken. Do you have another pair with you?"

Lily raised an eyebrow in amusement. "No, I don't. I'll be fine, I just can't see past five feet...I walked into your arm?" She repeated his answer in disbelief.

"It was my fault. I stopped to take a phone call and didn't bother to move off to the side. Is there anything I can do to help, miss?"

Lily shyly gazed into the man's eyes and couldn't help but think how gorgeous they were. A perfect layer of eyelashes fanned his eyelids. He was quite the looker. The man held her gaze only for a few moments before breaking the silence. "Are you okay? Are you feeling dizzy at all?"

"Um, I'm a little dizzy," she admitted. Though she wasn't sure if it was the hard hit she took, her vision being unclear, or the fact that this handsome man was _still_ talking to her. She assumed it was a combination of all three.

"We should get you somewhere warm. All this cold isn't good for your nose. Hopefully it's not broken," the man said.

Lily tenderly touched her nose. Nothing felt wrong or out of place. "I think I'm okay. Just some ruptured blood vessels. But you're right, I should probably go somewhere warm."

The man scratched the back of his head again. "There's a coffee shop not too far away from here. I'd like to walk you there if uh, that's okay with you?" The man asked awkwardly. "I'd like to make sure you get there alright, it's the least I can do."

Lily couldn't help but crack a small smile. The man was a little on the shy side. Which was surprising to her, seeing as he was extremely attractive. Usually the two didn't go hand-in-hand.

"I wouldn't mind that at all. My name is Lily," she introduced herself. "I would shake your hand but I'm sure you wouldn't want my blood on you."

"Steve," the man introduced. "Do you need help getting up?"

The brunette shook her head and smiled. "I think I'll be alright. Just make sure I don't walk into anything else...or anyone else, for that matter." she told while standing up.

"Are you sure you're okay? That's a lot of blood," Steve told her as the two started walking. It was then he noticed how easily he towered over her. He had to guess she was only around 5'4 and she looked pretty petite.

"Oh no, this amount of blood is actually quite normal," she told, causing Steve to raise an eyebrow. It certainly didn't look normal to him. "I'm a nurse," she added. "Licensed Registered Nurse, anyway. No job at the moment."

"Really? Then I'm pretty sure you don't need my help," Steve joked, throwing his hands up. This earned a muffled chuckle from Lily.

"I'm still blind, remember?" Lily half-joked, trying to keep their conversation going. The last thing she wanted to do was endure a silent and awkward walk with another man. Even if he was super attractive.

"Looks like you and I are the only two crazy enough to be out in this cold," Steve flashed her a small smile as he shoved his hands in his pockets.

Lily shrugged her shoulders. "Yeah, thought a walk would be nice...so are you in the military?"

Steve was caught off guard by her question. "Was. Why do you ask?"

"Haircut, physique," Lily blushed when she realized what she said. "But yeah, you give off that vibe. You actually look a little familiar."

"I get that a lot," Steve admitted, knowing it was only a matter of time before she put two and two together.

"You're Captain America," Lily said calmly but stopped dead in her tracks. "You are, aren't you? Your name is Steve. Steve Rogers?"

And there it was. Steve hoped she wouldn't make a big deal out of his identity. She had been really nice so far and if he had to be honest with himself, he was enjoying their small talk. It was nice talking to someone who wasn't an Avenger or some random person fawning over him.

"Yes, that's me," he answered with a soft smile.

"That's so cool. That would also explain my nose bleed," she joked in reference to his muscles, then mentally slapped herself for making such an awful joke.

"Yeah, I'm really sorry about that, miss," Steve apologized again.

"No, I should have been watching where I was going instead of paying attention to my phone."

"I shouldn't have been standing in the middle of the path. Not your fault," Steve argued.

Lily playfully rolled her eyes. "What were you doing here at Bryant Park anyway? I doubt there would be any super hero business going on here," she attempted to joke again.

Steve chuckled at how silly she sounded. Lily was pinching her nostrils and her voice sounded funny. "No. No super hero things happening today. Just a normal day, miss. I was out for a run."

"Lily," the brunette corrected with a shy smile. She found it so endearing that Steve was polite.

"Sorry, Lily," Steve corrected.

Lily pulled the handkerchief away from her nose and was satisfied that the bleeding had already stopped. But she knew her face was still a mess so she kept her head down. She didn't want Captain America of all people to see her looking so ugly.

"This is so weird," Lily admitted with a soft chuckle.

Steve gave her a quizzical look. "What is?" He questioned.

"I'm trying to make small talk with you but I actually know quite a bit about you. I learned about you throughout middle school and high school and I even took my sister to see the Captain America exhibit at the Smithsonian about six months ago."

"Yeah, that is kind of weird," Steve played along so Lily knew not to take him seriously. He shoved his hands into his pockets. "Nah, I'm used to it."

"Is it weird having an exhibit all about you? People you don't even know, know so much about you."

The Captain shrugged. "Like I said, I'm used to it. Though I have to say it was a shell shocker at first. Just about everything in this time was when I woke up."

Lily found herself in awe of the man. Sure, she knew the story of Captain America. But here he was, in the flesh, actually talking about how things were when he first woke up. It made everything so surreal.

"That's...I'm not sure what to say," Lily admitted with a short chuckle.

"You don't have to say anything," Steve reassured, hoping he didn't make her feel awkward.

"So. How about you tell me something people don't know? Like I dunno, your favorite color color or food? Unless that's already out there..."

Lily and Steve made a right turn and started to walk down the block in the direction of the coffee shop. Steve looked down at her again, trying so hard not to smile like a fool in front of her.

"Blue and pecan pie," Steve answered. "My favorite color and food."

Lily looked up at him and grinned. "Nice to know, Steve. That's very American of you."

"Not a coincidence, I swear."

"Sure," Lily teased.

"Here we are," Steve motioned to the coffee shop window on their right. Steve stepped in front of Lily and opened the door before she could. The young woman was taken back by his gesture and shyly bowed her head down as she walked through the open door.

"And they say chivalry is dead," she told Steve as he walked through the door.

"Not with me, ma'am," Steve smiled at her.

"Lily," she corrected once again with a smile.

"Alright. Well, Lily," Steve put emphasis on her name, causing her to blush. "I'll go find us a table. You should get cleaned up."

"Okay," she agreed with a head nod. She drew in a deep breath, trying to calm herself down. She really couldn't believe she had walked into Captain America! Of all people! But for some reason the fact that he was Captain America wasn't _that_ a big deal to her. All she could focus on was the sweet Steve who had so nicely offered to help her out after she ran into him.

"It'll be a table in the back," Steve pointed towards the back of the coffee shop. Lily nodded with a smile and took off to find the bathroom.

"Is that your girlfriend, Steve?" The old woman behind the counter asked.

"Mrs. Hilton, how are you?" Steve greeted. He sincerely hoped Lily hadn't heard that.

"I'm just fine, Steve. That girl, she's awfully pretty. New girlfriend?" Mrs. Hilton grinned widely at the already embarrassed super soldier.

"No, ma'am. Just met her. She, uh, walked into my arm and got a bloody nose. I took her here to avoid the paparazzi. I hope you don't mind."

"She walked into your arm? That'll be a story to tell your future kids of course. Are you gonna ask her out?"

Steve blushed and cleared his throat. "I don't think so. I just met her."

"So?" Mrs. Hilton leaned over the counter on her forearms. "Steve, why don't you date? I've known you for quite awhile and I've never seen you with another woman."

Steve let out a sigh and shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know," a sad smile now plastered on his face. "It's hard finding someone I can relate to."

"Well, you'll never know unless you take chances, young man," Mrs. Hilton smiled and gestured over to the back of the coffee shop. "You think her bumping into you is just a coincidence? Everything happens for a reason. Go ahead and ask her out. What's the worst that can happen?"

Steve could only shake his head and smile. "We'll see," he simply answered.

"Well, your table is open. Enjoy your day, Steve."

He took a seat at his normal booth and patiently waited for Lily to return. He clasped his hands over the table and fought the urge to tap his foot in anticipation. Was he getting strung up over a girl he just met?

"Hey there," Lily greeted cheerily as she took her seat in front of Steve.

"Hey," Steve greeted back. He found it difficult not to stare at her now. Now that her face wasn't buried in his handkerchief, he discovered that her eyes were a deep cerulean blue and she had a heart-shaped face that was clear and almost porcelain like. She had dark brown hair but the length was unclear due to being tied up in a messy bun. Steve had to admit...he found her very, _very_ attractive. She did, however, look extremely tired. Faint dark circles were noticeable under her deep blue eyes. "Are you feeling any better?"

"Much better, thank you," Lily tucked a piece of hair behind her ear and clasped her hands over the table.

"I'm not sure you should be thanking me, I'm the one who gave you a bloody nose, remember?" Steve reminded.

"I think you're doing a great job redeeming yourself so far..." Lily trailed off, too shy to make eye contact. Her pale cheeks were starting to turn red.

Steve may have been a little clueless when it came to women, but that blush didn't go unnoticed by him.

"You think so? What else can I do to make up for today?" Steve found himself wanting to get to know her more. He knew he hardly knew the woman but already her personality drew him in. She was sweet, had a sense of humor and she talked to him as Steve, not Captain America.

"Well, I do have something in mind..." Lily bit her lip and made eye contact with him. Steve swallowed nervously.

"Anything," he encouraged, hoping it wasn't anything too crazy.

"I uhh...it would mean the _world_ to my little sister if you could come and visit her. You're her favorite Avenger and I'm willing to bet she's your biggest fan. She's not fan girl crazy though, I promise."

Steve was caught off guard. He didn't mind fulfilling her request at all, but he didn't expect her to ask anything like that. He was secretly hoping she would somehow ask to see him again. It would sure save him the trouble of asking. "Sure. How old is she?"

Lily's demeanor instantly changed. She cleared her throat and let out a small sigh. "S-she's 17, about to be 18 in a few months. She's uh...she's sick."

"I'm really sorry to hear that, Lily," Steve told her. Maybe her sister's condition was taking it's toll on her. Maybe that's why she looked so tired. "I would love to come see her. Just tell me when and where."

Lily's heart was about thump it's way out of her chest. "Whenever you're available, really. I would say avoid Tuesdays and Thursdays, she goes to the hospital those days."

"How about tomorrow afternoon?" Steve suggested almost too quickly.

Lily's smile widened. "Tomorrow afternoon would be perfect. Wow, I can't thank you enough. She'll be so happy."

"It's my pleasure, Lily. But...can you do something for me in return?" Steve's nerves were starting to get the best of him. His throat was all of a sudden dry and he could feel his heart pounding a little too hard.

Lily let out a nervous laugh, which had actually helped calm Steve's nerves. "For what you're doing for my little sister? Anything, Steve."

"Will...will you on a date with me? Maybe after I meet your sister? I mean, if you have nothing planned after that." Steve coyly asked, a small smile tugging on the corner of his lips.

Lily felt her cheeks starting to tingle. She was sure she was red and had to purse her lips together to keep from smiling like a fool. She shook her head yes, unable to bring herself to speak at the moment.

"I'll take that as a yes?" The super soldier questioned her subtle head shake.

"Yes," she finally answered. "I'd really like that."

"Oh," Steve wasn't expecting her to say yes, to be honest. He thought it may had been a bit too much asking her out on a date when it seemed she had a full time job taking care of her sister. "What time would you like me to come over tomorrow?"

"I think-" Lily all of a sudden reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone. After checking it, she looked over Steve's shoulder, causing Steve to look where she was looking. Steve saw an older woman with the same brown hair like Lily's standing outside with her hands on her hips. She looked pretty pissed off. "I texted my mom earlier and told her I was here. I didn't expect for her to get here so fast. I should get going. Does 4pm sound okay?"

"Sounds great. Wait, should I get your number? I don't know where you live."

"Oh!" Lily pulled out her phone again, feeling like a fool for almost leaving without his information. "What's yours? I'll text you."

Steve gave Lily his cell phone number and she was quick to text him back. Steve stood up the same time as Lily, causing her to awkwardly stare up at him. "I, uh, it was nice meeting you, Lily. Given the circumstances..."

"It was an unexpected surprise," Lily admitted while finally gaining the courage to look him in his blue eyes. She felt her knees literally start to grow weak as he looked at her. "So I'll see you tomorrow?"

Lily wasn't sure what to do so she awkwardly held her hand out for him to shake, catching Steve by surprise. He took her hand and gently shook it, amused by her quirkiness.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Lily. Take care."

Lily smiled at him one last time before leaving. Steve turned around and his smile dissipated when he saw how furious her mother looked. He could hear her mother faintly scolding Lily about being selfish and something about leaving when her sister needed her. Lily though seemed unfazed and remained calm as she opened the passenger side door for herself. But his smile quickly returned when he saw that her own smile never left, even as she entered the car.

"Good job, Steve," Mrs. Hilton approached him and patted his back in approval. "Though that mother of hers seems like a handful already. Interesting that her mother is picking her up. Did you ask how old she was? She looks a little young."

"Yeah, I think she lives with her mom and sister," Steve assumed. "And she's old enough to be a Registered Nurse. She can't be that young."

"So...when's the next time you'll see her?"

Steve shoved his hands into his pockets and smiled at the vacant spot outside where Lily and her mom had just been. "Tomorrow."

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First chapter down in the books! What did you guys think? All I ask is just don't flame. Love criticism and all that, but don't be a douche when you review. :)

Next chapter will be Steve meeting Lily's sister and of course their date. Thanks for reading. :)


	2. Family Woes

Hello, readers. So as I previously mentioned, I'm revamping this story and it's been forever since I've last updated. I've changed a lot since then and my writing style has changed a lot too. I'm finding it a bit difficult to revamp these chapters but I would rather change some stuff than write new chapters. The next few chapters will not be one-hundred percent well written but bare with me here. Please let me know if you find any grammar or mistakes so I can fix them. Thanks!

 _"Tell you my fears, telling you everything_  
 _Telling the truth to you gives me wings_  
 _Free with my words, free as a bird_  
 _I am flying high looking at you_  
 _Everything new, you are my life"  
\- "All I Need" Christina Aguilera_

**No significance w/lyrics and chapters. It's just whatever I'm feeling at the moment.

* * *

Chapter Two: Family Woes

"How inconsiderate can you be?" Her mother, Mari scolded. "Because you wanted to throw a fit and run out, I spent my time cleaning up your sister's accident instead of making dinner for her. I can't do everything on my own, Lilyanne. You can't run away every time you get flustered."

Lily knew her mother was yapping about her, but her encounter with Steve Rogers had her distracted. Her mom could've been screaming at the top of her lungs and she still wouldn't have paid attention. All she could think about was that handsome smile of his and the fact the he had asked her out on a date. A date. With Steve Rogers. Aka Captain America.

Lily acknowledged her mother by briefly glancing in her mother's direction before turning her attention back to the snow flurrying outside. She couldn't see them in detail because she was without her glasses. Glasses that broke when she accidentally walked into Steve's arm. A small smile tugged at the corners of her lips. "Sorry," she muttered under her breath. She knew her mother was wrong for yelling at her but she decided to let it go. "It won't happen again."

"Seriously? Is everything a joke to you?" Mari narrowed her dark brown eyes at her daughter for a few seconds before having to turn her attention back to the road. With an aggravated sigh, she reached into the center console and pulled out Lily's extra pair of black framed and not so flattering glasses.

Lily graciously took them from her mother and put them on. She closed her eyes for a brief moment, thinking of Steve's bright blue eyes before turning her attention back to her angry mother. "No, mom, this isn't a joke. Just…I ran into someone. It was kind of a funny story, actually. I-"

"Save it," her mother harshly cut her off. Mari glanced over at her daughter just in time to see her smile disappear. Part of Mari felt bad that she was being too harsh with Lily, but the other was only looking out for her sick daughter. Not only did Lily run out as her sister started to puke from her chemo, she also left the hospital to grab lunch with her friend while Maggie was getting her treatment at the hospital. "Just…tell me later, okay? I'm a little worked up. You know it's been tough for me."

Lily snapped her head in her mother's direction, offended that she would even think it's been tough for only her. "It's been tough for _all_ of us," Lily corrected sharply. "Mom…I don't mind taking care of her. No one asked me to come back. We're all working hard to keep her healthy and take care of her but I can't take it when you take out your frustration on me," she confessed with a sigh. "I was only out for a few hours. Maggie was at her chemo treatment and I was there to pick her up at the end, so I really don't understand why you're so frustrated."

"I don't like her being without one of us."

"The doctors were there, mom."

"Just...stop arguing me. Before I get really mad, okay?"

Lily looked over at her mom. Her face was etched with what looked like years of worry and stress, but it had only been a few months since Maggie's diagnosis.

Silence filled the car. Lily's heart ached for her family but her heart especially ached for her mother. Her father had passed away only almost a year ago and Mari was left to take care of Maggie when she was diagnosed only seven months ago. The past year for her family had been filled with anger, loss, heart break and depression. To top it off, her older sister hardly ever came around due to a big falling out with their mother and the youngest sibling of the four, Aster, was often neglected and got the worst of it.

"Captain America is coming to visit Maggie tomorrow," Lily bluntly announced. Not the way she originally planned to tell her mother but she had say something. Anything to change the subject.

Mari raised an eyebrow at her daughter. She looked for any signs of joking but she seemed pretty serious. "Captain America? Explain."

That smile Lily sported only moments ago returned at the mention of Captain America. Steve. "I ran into him at the park. Well, walked into him. Literally. I ended up getting a bloody nose and he offered to walk me over to a nearby coffee shop because I also broke my glasses. He asked if there was anything he could do to make up for the bloody nose so I asked him to visit Maggie."

"And he said yes?" Mari questioned skeptically. "I'm having trouble believing you."

Lily snorted in laughter. "Why would I lie about something like that?"

"I didn't say you lied. I said I'm having trouble believing you."

"What's the difference?" Lily countered her mother. "Anyway, he's coming over tomorrow at 4pm. You know Maggie is his biggest fan. I couldn't pass up the offer."

"Your heart is in the right place, Lily, but this isn't a good idea. She's too sick."

Lily let out a groan and rolled her eyes in annoyance. "Seriously? Mom, she's sick, not dead. Her happiness is important to me and I think this will lift her spirits a bit. And by a bit, I mean a lot," Lily explained to her mother.

Lily knew her mother loved Maggie with every ounce of love her heart could give, there was no doubt about that. But Mari was so dedicated to keeping Maggie alive and healthy that more often than not, looking out for her happiness wasn't at the top of her list. Lily knew she couldn't scrutinize her mother for doing what any loving mother would do for their child. But because of her mother's full devotion to Maggie, other things and other people were put on the back burner.

"Fine. But if your sister isn't feeling up to it, then he's not coming. Got it?" Mari compromised.

Lily let out an exasperated sigh. How hard was it to say yes? "Sounds fair."

Lily had only walked about twenty minutes when she originally left her house so thankfully, the ride home wasn't long at all. Lily closed her passenger door and jogged into the house, ecstatic to tell her sister the news. When she walked through the front door, she quickly shook off her coat and hung it before practically sprinting to her sister's room. But she stopped mid sprint when caught her reflection in the hallway mirror. Lily stepped closer towards the mirror and grimaced as she studied her reflection.

Her body had become too skinny, in her opinion. She knew it was from taking care of her sister around the clock along with her organic diet she started several months ago, something her whole family was doing so Maggie wouldn't feel left out. Her skin was abnormally pale, though she knew that could be from a number of reasons. Her full lips, which was the only part of herself she actually thought was attractive, were awfully chapped from the cold weather and from lack of care. Her nose had a slight blue bruise on it from bumping into Steve and her eyes had prominent dark circles beneath them, courtesy from lack of sleep. And her hair. Her hair was tied up in a retarded looking bun...and Steve saw her like this? Lily found herself hoping he didn't ask her on a date out of pity.

"Oh my god, is this what I looked like when I met him?" She fussed as she lightly tapped her cheeks in an attempt to bring color to them. Lily groaned again, now mentally complaining about large ears.

"Stop complaining about yourself. I'd give anything to have a full head of hair."

Lily turned around and to see Maggie standing at the other end of the hallway. Lily forced a small smile and really looked at her sister. Maggie was frailer than ever and stood only an inch shorter than her older sister. Her eyes were normally a beautiful and rich chocolate brown just like their mother's but today they were dull. An indication that she was tired and in pain. Maggie had been suffering more than usual lately. Her leukemia was taking it's toll on her.

"I thought you were asleep. Mom told me you threw up? I didn't even know you were sick until she told me. I'm sorry I wasn't there," Lily walked up to her little sister and planted a kiss on her temple.

Maggie dimly smiled. "I'm alright. She freaks out every time I puke. It's like duh, I just had chemo. What the hell do you expect? And met who? Who did you meet?" Maggie questioned and crossed her arms. "You met a guy? I never thought I'd see the day."

Lily rolled her eyes. "Ha ha, you're so funny."

"I still think Aster is going to get married before you," Maggie snarkily replied. Maggie was always one to playfully poke fun at others and she was no exception. Though lately it was hard to tell if she was simply poking fun or if she was aggravated from feeling sick.

"I told you not to call me that!" On cue, their eleven-year-old brother popped into the hallway and joined the conversation. "That's not my name! I told you to call me Tommy!"

Tommy had the trademark brown messy hair most of the siblings shared. It was short and shooting out in every direction. His eyes were also dark brown and he stood at 4'10" tall.

Maggie crossed her arms and rolled her eyes. "No, your middle name is Thomas. Your first name is Aster. Do you get confused between what a first and middle name is?"

"What crawled up your butt?" Tommy sneered at his sick sister.

"Watch it, you two," Lily interjected. "I don't want to hear it. Maggie, I know you're grumpy but drop the attitude."

Maggie rolled her eyes at her big sister. "Fine. I don't know why you like Aster, though. That's a cool name, kid."

"I'm named after a flower!" Tommy whined.

"We all are," Lily informed. "You're no exception. Plus, I'm not just saying it, Aster is an awesome name."

"Whatever. Why is Maggie saying I'm going to get married before you? Aren't you really older than me?"

Lily's eye twitched in annoyance. She didn't think twenty-four was _that_ old.

"So who's the guy?" Maggie questioned again, her patience wearing thin. "I thought I'd never see the day when Lily got asked out by a guy. I didn't think I'd live to see you date."

"Don't talk like that," Lily warned sternly. "I'm not dating him, I just met him. But…he did ask me out on a date."

Maggie rolled her eyes. "Okay…? How'd you meet him?"

"I…I kind of bumped into him at Bryant Park. Literally. I ended up getting a nose bleed and breaking my glasses. He-"

Lily was cut off by both her brother and sister bursting into laughter. Lily placed her hand on her hips and glared at her two younger siblings.

"S-sorry, continue," Maggie urged while trying to keep her laughter at bay.

" _Anyway,_ " Lily raised her voice, making her siblings quiet down. "Turns out he's…an Avenger."

Maggie's face went blank instantly. "An Avenger? You mean like the heroes of New York? An Avenger?"

"Yup. He asked me if there was anything he could do to make up for my bloody nose so I asked him to come see you. Seeing as you are his biggest fan and all-"

"Oh my god! Captain America?" Maggie started to shake with excitement. "Is it him?"

Lily grinned at her little sister and shook her head yes. "He's coming tomorrow at 4pm to meet you."

Maggie broke into a mixture of giggles, mild hyperventilating, and wild clapping. "Are you being serious? Captain America is coming to our house tomorrow?"

"Yup, dead serious. And he's taking me on a date after."

"Aww I want to meet him too!" Tommy exclaimed and tugged on Lily's pant leg.

"Of course you can, Tommy."

"Are you seriously going on a fucking date with Captain America?" Maggie exclaimed in disbelief. "Holy fu-"

"Just _what_ do you think you're doing? Maggie, why are you out of bed?" Mari walked into the hallway, furious as all hell. "Lily, what the hell is going on?"

The three siblings went dead silent for a few moments, unsure of what to say. They knew there was no reasoning with their mom when she was this level of mad.

"Go to your room, Mags. Let me talk to mom real quick. You too, Tommy. I'll come get you when dinner is ready, okay?"

"Okay…" Tommy grumbled and made his way back to her room. Maggie narrowed her eyes softly at her mother and stared her down for a moment before returning back to her room.

"Are you happy, mom? Everyone is quiet and back in their rooms," Lily muttered as walked past her mother and made her way to the kitchen.

"Your sister doesn't have the energy to be yelling and jumping around like that. She-"

"She's _happy,_ " Lily cut off her mom. "I just want her to be happy. Why is that such a crime?"

Mari glared at her daughter. "Lily. You're a nurse, I figured you of all people would understand the seriousness of her cancer."

"Don't even start with that." Lily argued as she started to rummage through the pantry. "That's just a stupid thing to say. Of course I understand. I know you want to take care of her but you're making her unhappy. Her cancer is already doing enough of that, why do you have to contribute?

"How dare you. I have dedicated every day since her diagnosis is dedicated to keeping her alive. We've sacrificed so much and quit both of our careers to take care of her. And here you are, wasting her energy and encouraging her to act like a fool."

"Act like a fool? You mean be excited? You know what? You're being a total bitch. At least I make her happy-" Lily cut herself off when she realized what she just said. She stopped what she was doing and rested her hands on the counter. She wasn't one for name calling or cussing, but it slipped. "I'm sorry," she apologized, her voice barely above a whisper. "I was wrong to say that."

But Mari didn't even acknowledge her. After that moment, neither of them said anything to each other for the rest of the night, not even over dinner, which was dead silent.

* * *

Lily trudged her way up to her room and took a shower before laying in bed. It was only 8pm but she didn't have the energy to do anything else but lay down. She pulled out her phone and saw that she had a message. It was from Steve. Sitting up, she quickly unlocked her phone and read her message.

 _Hey, Lily. Hope we're still on for tomorrow, I'm really looking forward to it. Are you okay with going out for dinner?_

Lily was ecstatic that he had actually texted her. She smiled and started to reply back.

 _I'm looking forward to tomorrow, too. And so are my little sister and brother. I'm okay with anything. :-)_

Lily put her phone down and turned so that she was on her belly. She didn't hold her breath on him responding seeing as it was pretty late in the evening. Her heart was thumping wildly at the thought of going on a date with Steve Rogers.

Her phone buzzed again. He texted back.

 _Can't wait to meet them. Don't forget to text me your address. Have a good night, see you tomorrow._

Lily sighed dreamily and text him back her address.

"Whatcha gonna wear for your date?"

Lily's body slightly shook in surprise at the sound of her sister's voice. She sat up and watched as Maggie made her way to her bed. "Don't let mom see you out of bed. She'll flip."

"Let her," Maggie crawled onto her bed and plopped down next to her sister. "Dude, I still can't believe Captain America asked you on a date."

"Yeah," Lily agreed. "What are the chances of that?"

"You're one lucky girl, you know that?"

"Well, don't speak too soon. He may have just asked me because he felt bad about my nose," Lily suggested. Lily had a thing where sometimes she would talk herself down so that when the blow did come, it wasn't as hurtful. She knew it was a stupid habit she needed to grow out of already. "Come on, it's not like guys are lining up to ask me out."

Maggie turned on her side so that they were facing each other. "You're an idiot. All you need to do is wear clothes that fit you, brush your hair and stop looking like a nerd. Get some sleep too because you're starting to look like a raccoon."

Lily furrowed her eyebrows at her sister. "That wasn't straight forward at all."

"I'm your sister, I'm supposed to tell you how it is. Plus, I happen to think you're beautiful. You just don't embrace it," Maggie encouraged. "Don't worry, sis. I'll make you look even more prettier than you are."

"Thank you," Lily smiled sweetly, appreciating her complement. "I hope Steve is good at avoiding the media. I really don't want that kind of attention."

"Yeah…" Maggie trailed off. She knew the chances of the media finding out was more than likely but she didn't want to stress her sister out any more than she was. "I wonder if he's still old-fashioned. I mean he was born in 1918!" Maggie beamed, earning a quizzical look from her sister. "Or he might be a freak in the sack, you know what I mean? Dude, you're going to be doing it with Captain America!"

"Oh my god, Maggie, no! Stop talking like that!" Lily was profusely turning red. "First of all, don't talk like that. You're only seventeen. Second, it's not like that at all. Plus, making love is something you work towards. It's a testament of love and commitment to your partner. I think it's important to give yourself something to look forward to."

"…I think I'm gonna yack. First of all, I'm almost 18 and I'm pretty much an adult. I'm sure I've had more sex than you, too. Second, I was talking about sex, not making love. Ugh. I want to call you a nerd but at the same time I can't help but appreciate your values," Maggie admitted and flashed her big sister a teethy grin.

Lily didn't smile nor did she frown. She just looked at her little sister and wondered where the time had gone. It was true, Maggie had seen a lot more action than her. Maggie was still beautiful to her, but when she was healthy she was quite the looker. She was the only sibling of the bunch to get her dad's bright blonde hair and she had their mother's brown eyes. Her body used to be more full and she had a body to kill for. She was everyone's friend and the girl all the boys wanted to get with. Maggie had admitted to her sister that she became sexually active at only the age of 15. Maggie was not ashamed to tell Lily that she absolutely loved sex but would always practice safely.

Lily, on the other hand, didn't have too much experience. She stayed a virgin until she was 21-years-old and if she could take it back, she would. Her friends took her out for her birthday and they all had a little too much to drink. Her friends were making a big deal and teasing her about her losing her virginity but Lily didn't think they were serious enough to reverse the fact. Much to her surprise, they managed to snag the hottest guy they could find at the club and brought him back to the hotel with them. They convinced her to let them experiment on her and had she been in the right state of mind, she wouldn't have agreed. One thing that still haunts her to this day is that her friends videotaped the whole thing. They videotaped a man she didn't even know undressing her and doing her. For all she knew, her old friends probably still had that video. She remembered her friends making out with her and fondling her body while she got pounded by a complete stranger. There was _nothing_ about that night that was pleasurable for her. She had always imagined her first time being much more romantic than that. Thankfully, nursing school kept her too busy to even think about guys. She hasn't even had sex since.

"Snap out of it, Lilyanne," Maggie snapped her fingers in front of her sister's eyes, snapping her out of whatever daze she was in. Her blue eyes refocused on Maggie's. "Fantasizing about him much?"

"Quite the opposite, really. I'm just going to take things slow, okay? We'll see what happens. And don't call me that."

"You're so uptight. When is the last time you've ever let loose and just enjoyed life?" Maggie asked, her voice a little more quiet.

Lily knew where she was going with this and didn't answer her sister.

"I know you guys are trying to keep me alive but you're sacrificing living your own because of me," Maggie trailed off, her voice now quiet.

Lily sat up so she was sitting indian style. She reached over and grabbed her sister's frail hand in her own. She didn't remember her hands being so frail before.

"You are _my_ life, Maggie. I'm not sacrificing anything. I love you and I know you would do the same for me in a heart beat, wouldn't you?"

Maggie stayed silent and pursed her lips together. "Yeah," she mumbled. "In a heart beat."

Lily smiled triumphantly and lay down next to her sister, pulling her into her arms. "I love you, Maggie. Get some rest."

"I love you too, goody two shoes. Can I sleep with you tonight?"

Lily hesitated before answering yes. She knew her mother wouldn't be happy but screw it. Maggie's happiness was way more important than whatever her mother had to complain about.

* * *

"So Steve, you got any plans tomorrow? Or are you spending yet another night at the gym?" Natasha inquired with a smirk.

Steve, Natasha and Tony were the last ones remaining at the Avengers Tower after just finishing their weekly meeting.

He debated for a few seconds on whether he should tell the truth or just avoid the question. Lily's beautiful smiling face briefly invaded his thoughts and he found himself wanting the day to be over already just so he could see her again tomorrow. To say he was already smitten with her would be sort of an understatement. In the short half an hour of being with her earlier, he already could tell she was so sweet and even a little quirky. She treated him like a normal man after she found out his identity and she undeniably very pretty to him, even though he could tell she looked tired.

But back to the question at hand…

"I have a date," Steve answered smoothly. He braced himself for a slew of follow on questions.

"I'm sorry, did I just hear that right? So you actually grew a pair and managed to ask someone to go on a date with you? Or wait she probably asked you," Tony put his phone down and stared at Steve in mock surprise. "Who's the unlucky girl? Wait, is it a girl? Not that I care. I'm not judging."

Steve ignored the man and turned his attention towards Natasha.

"Wow, gotta say I'm surprised, Cap. Is she cute?" Natasha inquired, genuinely interested in Steve's date.

Steve couldn't help but smile a little. "Yeah, she's very pretty. She's a nurse."

"Nurse, huh? What's her name?" Tony asked, turning his attention to his phone again.

"Lily."

"Last name?"

"I don't know."

"Uh, okay. How do you not know her last name? How old is she? Jarvis, look up nurses registered in New York City under the name 'Lily'."

"As you wish, Sir," The A.I. responded.

"I'd prefer not to know every detail about her before going on our date," Steve argued, gathering his jacket and getting ready to make his way out.

Natasha snatched his phone and saw his search bar open. "Disregard, Jarvis. Stark changed his mind."

Tony snatched his phone back. "Don't touch my stuff. Jarvis, keep searching. I'm going to do some research as soon as the old man leaves."

"I know I can't stop you, just don't do this in front of me," Steve sternly warned the billionaire.

"But seriously, you're not giving me a whole lot to work with here. Lily has to be short for something. Last name? Age? Nothing?"

"You're one to talk, Stark," Steve argued. "I'm pretty sure you've taken plenty of women home without even knowing their age and first name. Back off."

"Ouch," Tony put a hand to his chest, pretending to be offended. "That really hurt, Capsicle."

"Ignore him, that's what I do," Natasha smirked. "Well, Rogers, let me know how it goes. Where are you taking her? I hope you have a solid plan to avoid the paparazzi."

"You guys talk too much," Steve pulled on his jacket and prepared to make his way out into the snow. He walked away from the two and looked over his shoulder. "You better not pull anything weird, Stark."

Tony rolled his eyes and snorted as the elevator doors closed. "What a prude. She's not going to want to see him after tonight, that's a fact."

Natasha raised an eyebrow at her friend. "I think it'll work out. I happen to know Steve a little better than you think. He's a great guy. I'm sure any girl would be lucky to date him."

"Wow, why don't you just date him then, if he's so great."

The Black Widow only smiled. "Not my cup of tea."

"Fifty bucks says no second date," Tony held out his hand to Natasha.

Natasha smirked, confident that they'd at least go on another date. She shook his hand, sealing their bet. "You're on, Stark."

* * *

I know, it was a little boring. I wanted you guys to explore Lily's family a bit before jumping into their date. Hope you all enjoyed.

Thank you for reading. :) I'll update the next chapter fairly soon.


	3. Meeting The Family

_"You hold me without touch_  
 _You keep me without chains_  
 _I never wanted anything so much  
t_ _han to drown in your love  
_ _And not feel your reign"  
\- Sara Bareilles_

* * *

Chapter Three:

"Do I look alright?" Lily motioned to her outfit and twirled for her sister, only to stumble over her own feet and almost fall. "Oh crap!" Lily hissed but quickly recovered and stood up straight, smoothing out her dress. She flashed a goofy smile at Maggie.

Maggie grinned and shook her head in approval. For a second there she thought she would have to let Lily borrow some of her clothes but it turned out that Lily actually had some stylish outfits from her early college days. Lily wore a fitting long sleeved black shirt, a high waisted and flowing white skirt with black flowers, black tights, knee high black boots, a purple blazer and a white scarf.

"You look amazing. Why don't you wear these clothes more often? It's like a mixture of nerd and sexy. I love it."

Lily shrugged, admiring her makeover in the mirror. Maggie had tried to dress her up in much tighter and revealing clothes but she wasn't having it. Lily liked to dress conservative and Maggie wanted her to look sexy. After many tried outfits, they eventually compromised on the outfit she was wearing now.

"Don't hate on my style," Lily placed her hands on her hips and winked at her sister.

"Well, at least we know Steve won't be able to keep his hands off you," Maggie teased while laughing.

Lily blushed at the thought. "Yeah, that's not going to happen. This is probably going to be a one time thing."

"Umm, no it's not. I bet you he's going to ask you out on a second date."

"Ten dollars says he's not."

"Are we seriously betting on whether Captain America is going to take you out on a second date? This is kind of funny. But you're on."

"Lily and Maggie shook each other's hands in agreement. Lily inwardly hoped Maggie would win her side of the bet...

"So are you okay with your contacts? It's weird seeing you without glasses."

"I'm alright. I should probably bring eye drops just in case," Lily fumbled and rummaged through her drawer before grabbing her bottle of eyedrops and placing them in her purse. She paused for a moment before snapping her fingers. "And my extra glasses. You never know."

"Are you nervous?" Maggie leaned back on Lily's pillows and pulled out her cell phone. "You look nervous. And I swear, I better not see you on my news feed later."

"I'm a little bit nervous, yes," Lily admitted. "Wouldn't you be if you were going on a date with Steve Rogers?"

Maggie gave her an incredulous look. "I'm not the one going on a date with him. But to answer your question...umm, no? I'd be super freaking ecstatic. That man is sexy."

"Oh god," she groaned and rolled her eyes. "It's almost three. Where's mom?"

"Not here, thank goodness," Maggie sighed in relief.

"Really?" Lily asked in disbelief. "She's probably running late...and don't be like that. I know she's difficult to deal with but she still loves you," Lily joined her sister on the bed and grabbed her hand.

"If she really loved me, she wouldn't treat me like a prisoner," Maggie argued.

Lily pursed her lips together. She knew her mother ultimately loved her and was desperately trying to keep her alive and healthy for as long as she could. "You know things have been tough, Maggie. For all of us. But mom lost dad and…" Lily's voice started to waiver.

"She doesn't want to lose me either," Maggie whispered. "But she's going to. You're _all_ going to."

Lily's eyes started to water. "Maggie, shut up. You're not going _anywhere._ "

"Lily," Maggie cut her off and pulled her into her embrace. "It's okay. I'm _okay_ with dying now. I've accepted it. Besides, I get to be with dad…" Lily's composure faltered at the mention of their dad.

"Maggie, please…" she begged. She couldn't bare the thought of her little sister, the girl who she helped raise and cradled in her arms when she was first born...she couldn't imagine her being gone forever.

"No. My time is going to come soon and you need to accept that. All I want before I go is to see my family happy. I want you guys to love each other unconditionally and life your lives to the fullest. Is that too much to ask?" Maggie gently cupped her older sister's cheek and placed a kiss on her forehead.

Lily shook her head and breathed out a sigh. "No, it's not."

"Didn't think so," Maggie smiled triumphantly.

Then the door bell rang.

Lily popped her head up and instantly her heart started to pound rapidly and her face heated up. "Crap. He can't see me like this. I need to clean my make up."

Maggie rolled her deep brown eyes. "Relax, I got it. Go clean up."

"Thank you," Lily got up and quickly made her way to the bathroom to clean up her face.

Maggie wasn't able to move too fast so she took her time going downstairs. Then she realized she was taking too long. She didn't want to keep Captain America waiting. "Aster! Help me get the door!" She called out. "We need to get one of those elevating chairs or whatever they're called..." She grumbled in annoyance.

Her little brother quickly sprinted out of his room and passed her on the way downstairs. "Don't call me that!" He called out over his shoulder and jumped from four steps up down to the floor. "Is he here? Is he here?"

"Be careful!" Maggie scolded as she continued to make her way down. "Ugh, what I would give to be able to move like that again."

Tommy opened the door and Maggie gasped when she saw her favorite Avenger standing there holding a big bouquet of flowers. She couldn't believe it. There he was, standing tall and looking oh so handsome. It was definitely Captain America though the hair was a little shorter than what she saw on the recent media. "Wow…" she whispered. "Hi."

Steve locked his eyes with her and flashed her a smile. "You must be Maggie."

"I'm Tommy!" Steve looked down to see a young boy he presumed to be their younger brother bouncing up and down in front of him.

"Hey, Tommy. I'm Steve," Steve held his hand out for him to shake but instead Tommy poked his leg.

"Are you really Captain America? Are you really him?" Tommy started to circle Steve. "Where's your shield?"

"Let him in, Aster!" Maggie rolled her eyes before narrowing them at her brother then turned her attention back to Steve, instantly smiling. "And yes, I'm Maggie. It's so nice to meet you! I'm sorry, I would shake your hand but I'm a little slow."

Steve shifted the flowers to one arm and made his way upstairs to meet Maggie. "Would you like some help?" Steve held out his arm to the sick girl.

"Thank you, Steve," Maggie gladly accepted his hand and balanced on him and the wooden stair railing to keep herself up. Once they were down, Maggie threw her arms around his waist, catching him off guard. "Oh my gosh! It's so exciting to meet you!"

Steve, who was genuinely surprised by her brave hug, returned the hug by carefully wrapping an arm around her thin and frail body. "It's pretty exciting to meet you as well."

Maggie pulled away and smiled at Steve. "Come on, we can go wait in the living room while Lily finishes getting ready."

"Sounds good," Steve agreed. If he were to be completely honest, he didn't expect to see Maggie to be up and about. He had honestly expected to see Maggie bed ridden, not so upbeat. He expected her to look more sick. "Oh, and these are for you," Steve handed her half of the flowers, which turned out to be a bouquet of beautiful yellow sunflowers.

"Thank you!" Maggie gratefully accepted the bouquet of flowers from Steve and smelled them. "Thank you for not getting me magnolias. I swear, every time I go out on a date with a guy and brings me flowers, he gets me magnolias."

Steve gave her a quizzical look at first before it clicked. "Oh, I didn't even think of that. Maggie is short for Magnolia, I'm guessing."

"Yup. We're all named after flowers, even Aster," Maggie glanced over at her little brother who was noticeably mad standing there with his arms crossed and pouting. "Except my dad. His name is Jace. Look, this is all of us."

Maggie led Steve around the stairs to where all the family photos were. There were several pictures hanging on the wall and in the middle was a big family photo with both her parents and four children. There were three girls and one boy, who looked to be the youngest of the bunch. Steve smiled when he saw Lily's face. Her smile was subtle but beautiful and her deep blue eyes stole the picture. She looked a little younger but it was definitely still her.

"Those are my parents, Marigold and Jace. Notice how I was the only one who got my dad's blonde hair?" Maggie smiled proudly, pointing to herself in the picture. "He and my mom were high school sweethearts…" Maggie's smile faded into a sad smile. "But he passed away almost a year ago. He was killed by a drunk driver."

"I'm so sorry to hear that, Maggie," Steve frowned. He couldnt help but think how their family wasn't the most fortunate. First their father, which was less than a year ago and now Maggie was sick.

"It's okay…this is Jasmine, she's the oldest and she's twenty-seven…" Jasmine had the same brown hair and brown eyes as her mother and was pretty much her look alike. But through her smile alone told him she most likely had her dad's personality, seeing as she was sporting that same charming smile as her dad. "She travels a lot and performs on broadway. She can do it all. Sing, dance, act, you name it. And she's done so many plays and musicals, it's ridiculous. It does keep her busy so she doesn't really visit a whole lot. Then of course you know the second oldest, Lilyanne, which by the way was so funny how she bumped into you. Make sure you call her Lilyanne and not Lilian. She hates that."

Steve chuckled at that and repeated her full name in his head. _Lilyanne. Pretty name._

"I don't know if she told you already but she's a nurse. A really good one, too. Top of her class. And she can sing. She originally wanted to major in music theory and composition but dropped out to pursue nursing after her first year. But anyway, I'll stop talking so you get more of a chance to know her yourself." Maggie playfully elbowed him in the ribs.

Steve was very much amused at how straight forward she was. He definitely didn't get that vibe from Lily.

"I know, I'm just joking. Well, next is me, but there's not much you need to know about me. The only thing you need to know is that I _love_ meatloaf. Random, I know. Then last but not least is Aster and he's eleven. My parents weren't going to stop until they got a boy and after sixteen years of trying, they got this little turd."

"Hey!" Tommy defended. "Everyone calls me Tommy, Steve. Aster is not cool."

"Actually, I think that's a pretty cool name," Steve encouraged the young boy.

"Really?" Tommy's frown disappeared. It turned into a bright smile.

"Yeah, I really think it's a cool name," Steve honestly answered.

"T-thanks!" The youngest of the bunch lit up like a Christmas tree and grinned. "I'm gonna go check on your date!" Tommy thanked and ran upstairs. "Hurry up, Lily! Captain America is waiting for you!"

"Wow, when you say it now it's cool. I've been telling him that his whole life. His name is seriously so cool," Maggie crossed her arms in annoyance.

Steve grinned. "Sorry about that."

Maggie shook her head. "No, don't be," she smiled. "You're like, his hero, you know. And thanks to you, I can probably get away with calling him Aster now."

Steve turned his attention back to the pictures. Aside from the big family photo in the middle, on top was a picture of just their parents. Below the big family photo were individual pictures of the siblings from oldest to youngest. They were each holding a single flower, which he assumed was the flower they were named after. Tommy was the only one not holding a flower, though. Instead, he wore a white aster pinned on his button up shirt and posed with him arms crossed, grinning at the camera.

"You guys are a beautiful family," Steve complimented, though it was mainly directed towards Lily. She wore a white dress with 3/4 sleeves but her shoulders were completely bare. The dress hugged her small figure and flowed from the waist. Her full lips were painted red and she smiled sweetly at the camera. She was captivating.

"Thanks…come on, let's go wait in the living room."

"Sounds good."

Maggie led Steve to the living room and sat down next to him.

"So, why did you decide to ask my sister out on a date?" Maggie questioned. "Do you feel sorry for her because you gave her a nose bleed?" Maggie erupted into a fit of giggles. "I'm so sorry, that's so funny!"

Steve was taken back. He could tell Maggie was joking but he hoped Lily hadn't thought that. "No, of course not. She's very sweet and she was interesting to talk to. Most girls nowadays…well they're not like that."

"Preach, brother," Maggie raised her hands in agreement. "I know I'm a part of this new generation but I like to think I'm one of the exceptions. Thankfully, our parents taught us girls to be ladies. I bet it was a real shell shocker wasn't it? Waking up almost seventy years later. I'm sure you're used to women acting and being a certain way. I'm sure most everything is different now than how it was back then."

Steve forced a smile at her. "In almost every way. But just like I tell other people who ask me, things are not so bad. It takes some adjusting at first but now I'm used to it."

Maggie flashed an awkward smile at the soldier. She knew she had a knack for just talking and running her mouth. "Sorry if I talk too much. It's just how I am. I hope I didn't offend you by asking that."

"Nah," Steve waved her off. "It's not a problem at all."

"Do you want me to go check on Lily? She might be passed out upstairs," Maggie offered.

Steve raised an eyebrow. "Why would she be passed out? Is she feeling sick?"

"No, no, no," she snickered. "It was a joke because she was really nervous about this date. But don't tell her I told you. She'll kill me."

Knowing that Lily was nervous somehow helped calm him down. "Your secret is safe with me. And it's okay, she can take her time."

"You sure?"

"I'm sure," Steve affirmed. He didn't mind waiting but he didn't want Maggie wasting her energy to make her way up the stairs. She already had enough trouble making her way down. "So, you said both your sisters can dance and sing. What about you and your brother? Do you have any special talents?"

"Hmm. I was an avid soccer player. I always dreamed of becoming a professional soccer player until I got sick. And I can sing play the piano a little. Not like Lily can though, she's amazing. And Aster? I'm not sure yet but I think he's a good drummer for his age. It's too early to tell. Oh yeah, our dad was a composer and music teacher at the University of New York. He used to give us mandatory music lessons until he passed away."

"Can you still play the piano? I'd like to hear you some time."

"Sure! I mean I'm a little rusty but I'd love to play for you!" Maggie beamed excitedly.

"Maggie? Where are you guys at?" Lily's voice called out.

"But it looks like you'll have to wait," Maggie smiled and looked towards the direction of her sister's voice coming from upstairs.

"Well, I'm looking forward to it," Steve told her and stood up. He made his way over to the stairs and felt his breath hitch at the very sight of her.

"Hi, Steve," Lily acknowledged his presence with an awkward wave from halfway down the stairs.

"Hey, Lily," Steve's breath caught in his throat as he took in her appearance. "You look…" he caught himself starting to speak out loud. There was no turning back now. "You look beautiful."

Lily's cheeks colored at the compliment. "Thank you," she replied. He looked very handsome himself. She tried not to stare too much at his muscles, which were noticeable with the light blue button up he wore.

"Aww you both look so cute together!" Maggie teased from the couch, clapping her hands.

Both Lily and Steve looked down in embarrassment before making eye contact again. "These are for you," Steve handed her a bouquet of red roses.

"Wow, these are so beautiful. Thank you so much. Just let me put these in a vase real quick. Make yourself at home," Lily walked away towards the kitchen which happened to be right behind the living room.

Steve watched as she walked away, taking in her beauty. His eyes drifted over her slender body, quickly noting _all_ of her curves. He turned his attention towards Maggie, having a feeling that she was watching him. And she was.

His cheeks tinged with red when he saw Maggie flash him a sly smile. Caught.

"Maggie, call mom and see where she's at. I'm not leaving you and Aster until she comes home," said Lily as she pulled an empty vase from under the sink counter.

"Really? I'm seventeen. I can't watch Aster?" Maggie argued.

"Maggie," Lily firmed stated her name.

Maggie rolled her eyes and took out her phone. "Fine."

"Did you need any help?" Steve joined Lily in the kitchen. Lily glanced up at him and smiled before returning back to what she was doing.

 _Why does he have to be so good-looking._ Lily wondered if Steve even knew how attractive he was. Just his smile alone was so handsome. Surely it was obvious to him that women found him attractive. "Oh no, I'm fine. Just getting some snacks out for the little ones while we wait."

It made sense to Steve as to why Lily chose to move back home and help. He already understood that she came home because Maggie was sick but he had been unaware of their father's recent passing. It was understandable that her mother needed help taking care of her two younger siblings, especially Maggie.

"Sorry to keep you waiting. I don't feel comfortable leaving without my mom here to watch over them."

"No, that's perfectly understandable," Steve truthfully replied. "I hope you don't mind, we're going to dinner at Axel's Steakhouse."

Lily paused for a short moment when she heard steak house. She made eye contact with Maggie who was on the phone with their mother. Maggie shot her a mean glare. Lily hadn't eaten meat in months. She became a vegan when the whole family had started a healthy and organic diet.

"Oh my god, that sounds amazing!" Maggie encouraged from the couch, rubbing her belly.

Lily's pause didn't go unnoticed by Steve. "Is that okay with you? We could always go somewhere else. I probably should have asked you before I made the reservation."

"What? No, that sounds perfect. The name just sounds familiar is all. Wait, didn't Tony Stark open up that restaurant? I thought there was a huge waiting list for that?" Lily looked down at her outfit. "Am I even dressed appropriate for that place?" Lily smoothed out her blue skirt and frowned.

"You look perfect," Steve blurted out. He mentally kicked himself for not being able to keep his thoughts to himself. The last thing he wanted to do was creep her out by over complimenting her.

"Oh," Lily noticeably blushed again. She quickly turned back to her current task. "Thank you, Steve."

"And uh, yes, Stark opened the restaurant a few months ago. Which is why I chose that place. There's no chance of the media finding us there."

"That's a relief," Lily flashed a smile at the captain. "I was a little worried about that."

"We have a booth in the back, it's kind of private. I hope you're okay with that."

"That sounds great," she smiled.

"Lily, mom said you can take off. There was an accident on the freeway so she got stuck in traffic. She'll be home in fifteen minutes," told Maggie.

Lily set the snacks aside. "Are you sure?"

"Yes," Maggie groaned. "No you two kids go out and have fun. And if mom calls you, don't answer!"

"Maggie…" Lily warned. "Did you really talk to mom?"

"Yes," she answered quickly. "You guys go out and enjoy your date. I can take care of myself."

Lily and Steve shared a look before Lily made her way over to Maggie. Lily sat down next to her and put her arm around her. "Okay," she quietly told her and kissed her temple.

"Okay?" Maggie questioned. She had been expecting Lily to argue her back.

"Are you deaf?" Lily smiled. "I said okay."

"Well, okay then," Maggie beamed. "Off you two go! Take a picture for me, please?"

"I don't know-"

"We'll be sure to do that," Steve politely cut her off and held out his arm to Lily. Lily was caught off guard by his chivalrousness. Lily remembered when he held the door open for her yesterday and how he told her chivalry wasn't dead. Apparently he wasn't just saying that.

Lily nervously looped her arm through and placed her hand on his muscular forearm, silently admiring it.

"I guess I'm off. Take care and if you need me, call me, okay?"

" _Okay,_ " Maggie rolled her eyes.

"Okay," Lily repeated with a sigh and made her way out of the house with Steve. She let out a hiss when the cold air hit her face. "Oh wow, it's cold."

"I can tell you don't like leaving her," Steve pointed out as the two walked to his car.

"I know. It's pretty obvious..." It was true and everyone knew it. Lily was dedicated to taking care of her sister and hated leaving her alone unless she absolutely had to.

"Very," Steve answered. "But there's nothing wrong with that."

Lily reached for the passenger door but Steve got to it first. "Of course," she playfully rolled her eyes. "Thank you, Steve."

It was only a twenty minute drive to Tony's restaurant. Lily was glad that it ended up not being awkward during the car ride. Steve was actually very comfortable to be around so far. He was good at small talk and would ask questions about her profession, school and even a little bit of family, stuff that Maggie had told him. She could tell he was in the slightest bit a little nervous, often flashing her goofy smiles and sometimes taking his time before saying anything, as if he was playing what he was going to say in his head before actually saying it though.

Lily, however, was disappointed when they pulled up to the restaurant and saw a line of people waiting outside. _Of course, this is Tony Stark's restaurant._

"Don't worry," Steve seemed to notice her distress. "We're going to enter through the back of the restaurant. Stark gave the manager a heads up to let us in."

"That's really nice of him," Lily let out a small sigh of relief as Steve drove towards what looked like the back of the restaurant. Already from the outside she could tell how exquisite this place was. The place looked super fancy and was lit up with beautiful lights. It definitely was Tony Stark's restaurant. "Heck of a place for a first date, Steve. Wow," Lily teased and lightly poked his bicep.

"Sorry, my options were kind of limited," Steve defended and swallowed nervously. "I didn't want the press in our business and I'm not even sure what you like or want to-"

"Relax," Lily erupted into a fit of giggles. Seeing this side of Steve was definitely not something she saw coming. "I was just joking. I really appreciate you looking out for our privacy."

Steve parked the car and turned towards Lily. "I'm sorry," the soldier apologized. "It's just, well, I'm not used to going out on dates. Actually, I would have to say this is my first date in…ever," he bashfully admitted.

Lily barely noticed her jaw drop in surprise. "R-really? You've never been on a date before? Steve, I find that very hard to believe."

The captain shook his head. "Well, I've been on double dates. Usually Buck- my friend would always drag me along. I never got around to going on an actual date though."

"If you don't mind me asking…why not? Any girl in their right mind I'm sure would love to go on a date with you," the brunette shyly voiced. She tucked a piece of her hair behind her ear and continued to stare at Steve.

He shrugged his shoulders. "Well, before it was obviously because I wasn't the most attractive guy, not saying I am now. But I was small, weak and very sick. Most girls weren't into that."

"I would have gone on a date with you," Lily accidentally blurted out. She was relieved to see Steve smile at her comment though. "And now?" She asked.

Steve barely caught on to her question. He was genuinely amazed at the woman next to him. Hearing her admit that she would have dated pre-serum Steve really struck something in him. He had a feeling she wasn't just saying it and actually meant it. "Now…too busy. That and it's hard to find someone I can relate to…but you? I can tell you're different than other women I've encountered in this new time."

Lily smiled but shook her head. "I don't know, Steve. You hardly know me."

"True," Steve admitted. "But first impressions say a lot." Steve placed his hand over hers and gave it a gentle squeeze, his mind really not registering what he was doing until he felt the warmth of her hand. "Shall we head in?" Steve gestured with his head to the back door of the restaurant.

"Y-yes," Lily stammered and unbuckled herself from her seat. "Just let me put my phone on silent real quick."

Steve watched as she dug out her phone and started to mess with it. She was definitely a beautiful young woman. Maybe not what this day and age would define as beautiful, but she was beautiful to him. She had a natural beauty, big eyes and an alluring personality. He couldn't get to wait to know her more. He had a feeling he wouldn't be disappointed.

"Okay, done. Sorry, I don't want my mom's texts bothering me all throughout dinner," she apologized and quickly put her phone away.

"No need to apologize," Steve rang the buzzer.

Three seconds passed until the door swung open.

"About damn time, Rogers. I thought you would never make it out of the car. And wow, I gotta say I'm impressed. I didn't expect your date to be so gorgeous."

"I should have known," Steve crossed his arms over his chest and stared down the billionaire. To say he was pissed was an understatement. But for the sake of not scaring off his date, he kept his cool.

"Turns out my manager had the day off. So why not step in and personally make sure you guys get taken care of?" Tony winked at Lily, causing her cheeks to color red at the gesture. She was doing her best not to freak out at the fact that Tony Stark, also known as Iron Man, was here in the flesh and talking to her and Steve.

"Uh huh," Steve sounded unconvinced. "Because the manager at a big fancy restaurant like this just has a day off."

Lily looked up at Steve and wondered why he was so unhappy about the situation. Did he and Tony not get along?

"Well that's really nice of you, Mr. Stark. I'm Lily. Lily Chambers," Lily politely butted in and introduced herself, holding out her hand for him to shake.

Tony grabbed her hand and brought it to his lips, giving it a gentle kiss and silently pissing off Steve in the process. The color on Lily's face only deepened. "You can call me Tony. Let's get you guys out of the cold, we don't want Rogers turning into a capsicle again."

"Capsicle?" Lily asked Steve as Tony led them through. She don't know where she suddenly found her boldness but she looped an arm through Steve's. He didn't seem to mind. He actually smiled and felt his body become less tense.

"Don't ask," Steve forced a smile and shook his head at Tony.

"Because he was frozen like a popsicle and he's Captain America. Hence, Capsicle," Tony answered without looking back.

Steve let out what sounded like a frustrated sigh at the man and looked down at Lily. "I'm sorry, I hope this isn't going to ruin our date."

"You could have taken me to a sleezy bar and I still would have been happy to go on a date with you. Don't worry, I'm having fun," Lily reassured.

Steve flashed yet another one of his sheepish smiles at her. "I'm glad to hear that."

"You guys are going to enjoy this place. Best part is, the press is out of your hair," Tony led them to their table which was just a table for two separated from most of the people but not in a way that made them feel secluded.

"Thanks. Too bad you're not..." Steve murmured that last part to himself as he pulled out Lily's chair.

"Thank you, Steve," Lily sat down and patiently waited for Steve to take his place in front of her.

"Right. Now that you are seated, would you care for anything to drink? Might I recommend choosing from our list of fine wines?" Tony handed Lily a drink menu.

"Oh no, I don't drink. But thank you," Lily handed the menu to Steve.

"Let me guess, our waiter has the night off too?" Steve questioned, clearly irritated with the man.

"You guessed right. Now what would the lady like to dr-"

"Stark, may I have a word with you in private?" Steve cut him off.

Tony rolled his eyes. "Is that necessary?"

"Very."

"Fine," Tony motioned for him to get up and follow him.

"Sorry," Steve murmured to Lily. "I'll be right back."

"Take your time," Lily reassured with a smile.

"What the hell are you trying to pull?" The soldier harshly asked once he and Tony were out of hearing range.

"What do you mean?" Tony questioned while rolling his eyes. "Really? Lighten up a little. I'm just trying to make sure you and your pretty date actually enjoy the night. Is that a crime?"

Steve let out a sigh, already frustrated with whatever Tony was trying to pull. "It is when it's you."

Tony gasped and pressed his hand to his arc reactor, pretending to be offended. "Ouch, Capsule. Ouch. Answer me this, have I done anything wrong? I cleared you from the press, got you a private table, and even brought you a list of exclusive wi-"

"Stark, let me make myself clear. If you sabotage my date with her, we're going to have some problems," Steve firmly announced while crossing his arms.

Tony yet again rolled his eyes and patted Steve's shoulder. "As if we don't already. Just don't get your diapers in a bunch, old man.

Back at the table, Lily took advantage of the time she had alone and quickly pulled out her phone, expecting to see nagging messages from her mother. To her surprise, it was from Maggie.

 _Enjoy the night! Make irresponsible choices and stay out late! Maybe he'll invite you over to get laid! hahaha._

The brunette blushed madly and lowered her phone just in case Steve or Tony was behind her.

 _Stop it. I'm not going to do the dirty with a man I just met. Maybe he'll ask me to stay out late, though. I certainly wouldn't mind spending some time with him. He's really sweet, Maggie._

Maggie replied back almost instantly.

 _Why not? He's super hot! You cannot deny he has a rockin' body. I felt his biceps earlier :-) Come on, he's Captain America! If you hook up with him you get to say that you had sex with Captain America!_

Lily inaudibly groaned at her sister's reply.

 _When did you feel his...never mind. And so? Sex isn't everything and you need to get your mind out the gutter, young lady! I know he's Captain America but he's also just Steve. Fyi, I bet a lot of women can say that. :/_

Lily frowned and awaited her sister's response.

 _Eh, I don't know. I know he is who he is and you would think that but...I don't get that vibe from him. I don't think he's the type that sleeps around. But I guess you'll find out soon... ;) By the way, did you get a chance to see IronMan? I heard he pops his head in from time to time._

A smile tugged at her lips.

 _He's actually our waiter. Crazy, huh? But I do sense some tension between him and Steve. I have a feeling they don't get along. Steve actually just excused himself to talk to him in private..._

Lily checked behind her. Still no sign of Steve or Tony. Her phone buzzed again.

 _Really? That's soooooo cool! I was about to ask why you were texting me back during your date. LOL._

 _Yup, really. Well, I'm going to get going now. Take care and see you in a few hours!_

Lily was about to put her phone away but it buzzed again.

 _Take care! At least get to third base with the guy, yeah?_

 _Goodnight, Maggie._

Lily rolled her eyes and put her phone back in her purse.

"Sorry we took so long," came Steve's voice from behind her.

Lily's blue eyes followed him as he took his seat in front of her. She flashed him a sweet smile. "Is everything okay?"

Steve nodded. "Everything's just fine."

Tony's eye roll didn't go unnoticed by Lily, though. She was almost 100% sure Steve had confronted about Tony meddling with their date but she didn't have any problems. In fact, she thought Tony was sweet for personally overseeing that the press was out of their way and that they weren't bothered.

Lily's blue eyes connected with Steve's lighter blue eyes and she swore she felt her skin started to tingle. In that moment, she really got to take him all in. Like, really take him in. Something about his eyes was just so captivating to her. His eyes drew her in and made her nervous at the same time. Her eyes briefly studied his facial features. He had a clean shaven face, full lips, and his nose had a tiny bump on the bridge. With that boyish grin he always seemed to have...he looked like perfection to her.

Steve nervously smiled when he made eye contact with Lily. Her blue eyes were a very deep blue. Usually he didn't see dark blue eyes on a brunette. She wore burgundy lipstick, eyeliner and light foundation. Her long brown hair fell in waves over both her shoulders and came down to her mid back. Her smile was subtle, just like he saw in her pictures earlier. She was so captivating.

"So guys, here's the menu. I'm going to give you a few minutes to decide..." Tony placed the menus down and stepped away from the couple.

It was only when Tony left that Steve and Lily broke their eye contact.

"So..."

"So..." Lily repeated, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear.

"So, Lilyanne," Steve emphasized her full name and smiled when he saw Lily's confused look. "Your sister has told me quite a bit about you..."

* * *

As I mentioned before, I'm revamping chapters from awhile back. If you notice any mistakes, please don't hesitate to message me and let me know.

To be continued!


	4. Date Night

_Could you beam me up_  
 _Give me a minute, I don't know what I'd say in it_  
 _I'd probably just stare, happy just to be there, holding your face_  
 _Beam me up_  
 _Let me be lighter, I'm tired of being a fighter_  
 _I think a minute's enough_  
 _Just beam me up_

* * *

Chapter Four:

Dinner lasted only about an hour or so for Steve and Lily. Not much happened over the course of dinner, due to Steve being uncomfortable and slightly paranoid around Tony's presence. Steve had discretely managed to pull some poorly hidden spy software Tony had put under their table. The Captain was a little on edge after that.

Still, Steve and Lily managed to carry on conversations here and there. Steve had found out Lily was a vegan immediately after she ordered a tofu salad. She instantly fessed up and explained to him about her sister's diet and how the rest of the family jumped on board to show their support. Over dinner and as they talked, Lily noticed the little things about Steve. He was very sweet, polite and seemed to always have a lopsided grin on his face when she talked. He was admittedly a little different than she ever imagined him being. But in a good way, of course.

Once they were finished eating, Steve dropped a hundred dollar bill on the table and quickly escorted Lily out the door and drove off. Not wanting the night to end so soon, he asked her if she wanted to take a walk with him. Lily agreed and mentally started to think about things to talk about so there wouldn't be an awkward silence.

Steve pulled over to a nice park a few blocks away and even though it was dark and cold as all hell, they still agreed to take a little stroll because it was still absolutely beautiful out and there was no one around.

"So if my knowledge of you serves correctly, you are 97-years-old?" Lily half joked at the man walking beside her. "You know we had a chapter in our history books about you. High school, sophomore year U.S. History class."

Steve glanced over at the smaller girl, who had her small hands shoved in the pockets of her thick coat.

"Easy there, I've only been awake for 28 years total," Steve lips pulled up into a lopsided grin. "I never bothered to ask over dinner. How old are you?"

"Oh. I'm 20-years-old..." Lily trailed off and watched for Steve's reaction. She saw his eyebrow barely raise up in surprise. Almost like he had meant to react a lot worse but caught himself in time. "What's the matter, Steve? Is my age a problem?"

"No," Steve quickly answered. "No, of course not. You're just a little younger than I expected, is all."

Lily let out an amused laugh and bit her lip before saying, "I'm twenty-five, Steve. I'll be twenty-six next month."

Steve raised both his eyebrows in surprise. She got him good. "Ha ha, Lily. Good one."

"I know. Not to worry, I'm almost your age. Kind of?" She questioned before laughing again.

"I wasn't worried," Steve reassured the younger woman. "So when exactly is your birthday?"

"December 26th," Lily supplied.

"I assume you just celebrate your birthday on Christmas?"

"Right you are. I don't mind it one bit though. And hey, it's pretty neat how your birthday is on July 4th," the brunette teased.

"Happy coincidence," Steve said with a shrug.

"Nothing is ever a coincidence..." Lily trailed off, immediately regretting voicing her opinion. _Come on, Lily. That wasn't necessary..._

"And why is that?"

"Well..." Lily cleared her throat before speaking. "Now I haven't lived a long life like you now, but I've been around long enough to know that there is no such thing as luck or chance. Everything happens for a reason. You know, that sort of stuff...but anyway..."

Steve only smiled in awe at the younger woman.

"You make a great point. And I actually don't believe in coincidences either," he teased. "I just wanted to see what you would say."

Lily rolled her eyes and felt her cheeks tingle with embarrassment. "Thanks, Steve."

"So your sister tells me you can sing."

"And the embarrassment continues," Lily halfway joked. Yes, she was a little on the shy side, but she knew Steve was just joking.

"That's nothing to be embarrassed about. From what I hear, you're really good at it."

"Umm...it's really just a hobby, if anything."

"Maggie told me you planned to make a career out of it at one point. Must have been more than a hobby," the Captain teased.

"What did she tell you my whole life story?" Lily asked while raising her eyebrow.

"Some of it."

"Yes," Lily sighed, almost as if was something she dreadfully missed. "I certainly gave it a go, but turns out my heart wasn't in it. Don't get me wrong, I still miss being able to perform. I'm sure you know all about that my star spangled man with a plan."

Steve felt his heart almost skip a beat when she had said that. He didn't know if it was from the old nickname or the fact that she said 'my'. But he quickly dismissed it. She probably didn't even realize she said it herself.

"Each one you buy is a bullet in the barrel of your best guy's gun," Steve said in his exaggerated all American voice.

Lily was beaming by the end of it and broke out into laughter. "Wow. You gave me chills. Not even kidding!"

Steve was admittedly a little surprised by her reaction. But he found himself laughing along with her soon after. "Good. Because that was a one time thing," he joked.

"I'm really not sure if you know just how big of a deal you are. I grew up watching videos about you and learning all about you. And I know the last thing you want is a fangirl and I swear I'm not, but I'm actually talking to the man who made history...and saved lives..." Lily abruptly stopped talking and flashed Steve an 'I'm sorry look'.

Steve knew Lily probably felt bad for talking a little too much, but Steve didn't see it that way at all. In fact, he loved listening to her talk.

"You know, I'm glad I met you," Steve all of a sudden found himself saying.

"Really? I mean, I'm glad I met you too. Even under the circumstances."

It was just then Lily realized that she and Steve had stopped in the middle of the sidewalk and were facing each other both with their own hands in their pockets.

"Right," Steve let out a chuckle and gently cupped her face. He brushed his thumb close to her nose, careful not to touch it. "How is your nose, by the way?"

Lily found herself furiously blushing at his touch. "Um..it's f-fine..." she shyly looked away when she saw his blue eyes gazing into hers. "A lot better."

Steve retracted his hand, unsure of why he even made such a bold move in the first place. Something about Lily was making him act without thought. He had never touched another woman like that, and yet found himself cupping her face without a thought. He knew he liked her, that was apparently obvious. He assumed it was probably obvious to her as well.

"So what do you say? Have I redeemed myself?" Steve asked, the question was seemingly a joke but his tone was a little more serious.

Lily brought herself to make eye contact with the Captain and smiled at him. "Between making my sister the happiest I've seen her in awhile and the wonderful dinner and walk I'm having with you? I'll have to say yes, you most definitely have redeemed yourself."

Steve couldn't help but be drawn to this girl. She was a little bit of everything. Smart, playful, shy... She seemed almost too good to be true. He found most women he talked to either fawned over him or were completely un-relatable.

"Hopefully that doesn't mean we have to stop seeing each other?"

Lily started to feel butterflies in her belly. It felt like butt load of butterflies batting their wings at a rapid pace.

"You want to see me again?" Lily asked if she didn't hear him right.

"Yeah, I do," he said with an assuring smile. "If that's okay with you, of course."

"Of course, Steve," she answered cooly, fighting a wide and beaming smile that was close to surfacing.

"Great. Because I really want to take you out on another date. One that was a lot better than this one."

This time, Lily couldn't hold back her smile. On top of wanting to see her again, he had asked her on another date.

"You say that like there was something wrong with this one? Which I'm really enjoying, by the way."

Steve knew he couldn't done a thousand times better than what just happened tonight. But he wasn't about to let her know that.

"It feels like it's about to end. I want it to last longer," Steve truthfully admitted.

"Well, I mean...I have no where to be. I have the whole night. I mean I'm not sure if can spend all of it walking in the freezing cold but I'm sure there's something we can do in the ci-"

Lily was abruptly cut off by Steve gently pressing his lips against her own. It was a soft kiss that lasted for about four seconds or so. When he pulled away, Lily was as red as a tomato and was definitely shocked by his sudden action.

"Wow..." Lily touched her lips with her fingers, missing the feeling already. "What was that for?"

Steve brought his fist to his mouth and cleared his throat. "I've been wanting to do that. Was that too much?"

Lily let herself smile as she shook her head. "Not at all. Perfect. A little surprising, but perfect."

Steve grabbed her hand and pulled her closer to him. Lily watched as he tucked a piece of her hair behind her ear and cup her face.

"Are you going to kiss me again?" Lily asked and again, mentally scolded herself for asking another stupid question.

Steve couldn't help but smile at her.

"I wanted to make sure you weren't caught off guard this time. A first kiss should be memorable, right?"

His blue eyes were right above hers, staring into her own cerulean blue eyes.

"We already had our first kiss," Lily playfully reminded.

"Memorable second kiss?" Steve suggested, happy to know she was okay with his bold and sudden actions.

"Sounds like we should give it a try..."

Steve only smiled before bringing his lips down to hers and kissing her again.

This time, Lily was prepared, or as prepared as she could be to kiss the Captain. And when his lips made contact with hers, she felt her whole body grow warm and her heart started to flutter uncontrollably fast. Their kiss was simple, just like the first one they shared, yet it was so electrifying.

"Wow..." she whispered once he pulled away.

"Is that a good wow or...?" Steve pressed his forehead against hers.

He knew he hardly knew the woman but he couldn't help himself. His actions were so unlike him. He had never been so straight forward with another woman before, romantically speaking of course, but he found himself being a whole different person around Lily.

"Yes, it's good," she affirmed as she felt him grab her hand and loop it through his arm.

"Let's get out of here. I'm sure we can find something else to do in the city if you're up for it?" Steve suggested. He didn't have any plans for the next day unless he was needed so there was no harm in spending the night out.

"I most definitely am," Lily beamed, happy that the night wasn't ending so soon.

And for the rest of the night she spent with Steve exploring what the city had to offer, she had a light heart. In only a day, a lot of burden and hurt that had been weighing her down had been lifted by a man who seemed to enjoy being around her for whatever reason. But hey, she wasn't going to complain or try and overanalyze why. She was simply going to let it be and enjoy herself with him.

She looked up at the man who she never once in a million years thought she would meet, let alone kiss her, and saw that he seemed genuinely happy. Lily only hoped that she could continue to get to know Steve Rogers. She already knew he went down in history as a brave and selfless man, but she found herself wanting to know everything her history books didn't teach her...

* * *

 **Thank you for all the support so far. I'm keeping the chapters short I can update more frequently. Please show some love, I could really use it right now! Reviews appreciated, but no flames. Those are definitely not welcome.**

 **Till next time!**


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